Woman’s possessions destroyed after entire flat flooded with sewage

A woman has been living in a Travelodge for nearly two months after sewage flooded her flat, destroying everything she owns.

Michelle Kirby, 47, came home from holiday on July 20 to discover sewage flooding into her flat due to a communal drain issue in the building.

Michelle’s property and the flat below had been completely flooded, but as she was away at the time, she wasn’t properly notified or evacuated like the other tenants.

Every item Michelle owns was ruined in the flood, leaving her and her two-year-old dog, Albert, living in a Travelodge for the foreseeable future.

The waste caked her floorboards and carpet, leaving the home inhospitable with an ‘unbearable smell’, but Michelle has been told to move back in on October 1.

Michelle struggles with anxiety and depression, but this disruption has exacerbated her mental health to the point where she is receiving NHS care for suicidal ideation.

Michelle, from Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, said: ‘I have really suffered through this experience. Not only did I have all my belongings destroyed, I also didn’t even know it was happening at the time!

‘I’ve lost so many sentimental items and my mental health has been immensely damaged.’

Michelle was on a trip to the Isle of Wight when the flood broke out on July 17, and the fire brigade had to break into her home to gain access for the housing management’s plumber.

However, no one notified Michelle about what had been happening, so when she got home she thought her flat had been broken into.

She said: ‘When I saw the broken lock, I thought someone had burgled me. But when I opened the door, a wave of disgusting sewage poured out, and I realised what had happened.

‘I was in total shock to see my flat completely ruined and covered in god knows what!’

Michelle was moved to a Travelodge that same day, while the leak continued to pour out for a further two days.

She was told to return to the flat after the leak had stopped to try and salvage what she could, but everything was destroyed.

Michelle said: ‘There was dried-up waste all over all the surfaces and everything was damp. There was no saving much of anything.

‘I’ve lost old pictures of my family and a small gold necklace gifted to me by my Nan- all gone now.’

A cleaning team entered the property at the start of August to repair as much as possible, but because the sewage had hardened, it was very difficult to clean.

Michelle said: ‘Cleaning teams usually try to hoover up as much of the waste as possible when it’s still damp, but because it had time to harden, that was impossible. They gutted the place of all my destroyed possessions and managed to clean it to a reasonable degree.

‘I’m expected to go back on October 1, but they keep pushing the date back. Personally, I would much rather be moved to another property, because what am I going back to? I have no TV, no bed, not even a saucepan.’

Michelle’s mental health has suffered from losing all her possessions and a sense of home, which is why she wants to move to a different property.

Her doctor sent a letter to the Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing Association advocating for a move, explaining that Michelle has been dealing with suicidal ideation.

Michelle said: ‘It has really affected me, especially feeling like I have nowhere to go. I started feeling suicidal and getting back into unhealthy tendencies from before. I’m not sure what to do next- I just hope the housing association are able to help and find me somewhere new.’

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